Letters: California needs desalination

The Coastal Commission delayed a decision on building a large seawater desalination plant on part of the AES power plant site in Huntington Beach.

The Coastal Commission delayed a decision on building a large seawater desalination plant on part of the AES power plant site in Huntington Beach. (Los Angeles Times)

Re "Seawater plant vote is postponed," Nov. 14

The most precious commodity in Southern California is fresh water. Without an adequate water supply, the Southland's future is very bleak.

With this in mind, I am totally outraged by the California Coastal Commission's decision to in effect delay any action for at least six months on the approval of a desperately needed desalination plant in Huntington Beach. Work on this project should commence immediately.

Plant builder Poseidon Resources proposes to minimize costs and environmental effects by locating the plant and its ocean intake and discharge systems adjacent to an existing power plant. But that is apparently not good enough for the Coastal Commission, which is concerned about possible hazards to some sea life in a very small area of the Pacific Ocean.

Judging from this particular action (and several others in recent years), maybe the Coastal Commission has outlived its usefulness.